The Institutional Advancement and International Relations departments recently hosted a delegation from the Republic of Turkey. Plans are underway to promote the Türkiye Scholarship at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) with the goal of establishing scholarship exchange programmes and research partnerships.

The first step towards this goal was when the Consul General of the Republic of Turkey, his excellency Sinan Yesildag, recently met with UWC’s Director of Institutional Advancement, Professor Anesh Maniraj Singh. 

In a follow-up visit, two specialists who travelled to South Africa earlier this month requested an engagement with UWC to explain the scholarship opportunities to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

At the meeting, Mr Emre Oruc (pictured left), the Istanbul coordinator for the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, said: “The purpose of our visit is to promote the Türkiye Scholarships Programme, an official higher education scholarship programme for international students who are willing to study in Turkey. By means of this scholarship, we want to establish improved communication and collaboration between our countries. We see the scholarship awardees as the cultural bridges between Turkey and South Africa". 
 

Prof Singh delivered a short introductory speech welcoming the delegation and said he is very excited about this exploratory visit as it could produce many future possibilities.

Mr Umesh Bawa, UWC’s Director of International Relations, said: “We do not have a general memorandum of understanding as yet, but we will be sharing the scholarship information this state agency from Turkey has shared.”

During the meeting, Mr Bawa shared a brief history of UWC’s humble beginnings and how the institution has grown to firmly establish itself as one of the top tier South African universities.

Mr Kemal Yurtnaç, Chairman of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, noted on the organisation’s website: “Given the unique historical experience of the Turkish Republic, its people enjoy ethnic, religious, and cultural ties with several other communities throughout the world. At the same time, with the rising quality of its secondary and higher education institutions, Turkey has been a major destination of international students seeking a better education abroad.”